So You Wanna Go Remote

Here at IN GOOD CO., we’ve traded the four walls of a traditional office for the dynamism of unique co-working spaces, the comfort of our homes, and the inspiration of new places near and far. Why? Turns out teams find it liberating, surprising, exciting, and challenging. In other words, all the stuff we want our days, and our teams, to be fit to burst with.

Also, if you’re not with us, well you might be having a hard time finding that winning team. The truth is that the professional landscape is changing—and changing every day. As of January 2018, the number of regular telecommuting employees (not including people who are self-employed) has grown by 115% since 2005, while the number of employers offering work from home options has grown by 40% in the past 5 years. And for good reason. Along the way, we’ve learned plenty: the good, the challenging, and the how to do it… and do it well.

Read on for our team’s top reasons to go remote.

MORE FREEDOM = HAPPY HUMANS

“When your team is full of remote workers, you inevitably end up with a lot of independent thinkers. Say goodbye to groupthink or stale meetings. And meetings? They become intentional. Remote teams actually WANT meetings! When you give people the autonomy to rule their work they get a lot more vocal.”

“Having the freedom to choose where I want to work from caters to my schedule and allows me to venture off my beaten-path. I’m not tied to a specific place and I can do my work from anywhere, taking care of myself—whether that’s going to the doctor or going to a pilates class—becomes less of a guilt trip.”

“You can manage yourself and your time in a way that lets you live your best life, which makes the work better. I can travel. I can decide to go for a hike in the morning or for a walk in the afternoon. I can go to a doctor’s appointment when I need to and not have to put it off for weeks.”

VARIETY = CREATIVE SUPERFOOD

“You can choose when you want to be somewhere busy and exciting or quiet and focused. And I love having variety in my day-to-day, and getting inspiration when I need it by literally changing my seat and moving around the city/country/globe.”

“Working remote lets me interact with a larger, more diverse community. Between working at The Wing, traveling more, and meeting other remote employees, I’ve found a large community that come with different backgrounds, skills and perspectives.”

“It’s my job to talk about or describe things in a way that is fresh, unique, and dynamic. That’s not easy to do that when you’re working from the same place day after day—especially if that same place is a really unexciting or drab office! Even working from the comfort of my home keeps me feeling inspired. If I’m feeling drained, I put on a favorite record, flip through an art book, or go for a walk. When I return to the work from that “interruption” I usually have a better head for whatever it is I’m trying to tackle.”

CHALLENGING WORK = EPIC RESULTS

“Everyone has to ‘show up’ and be fully present to make things work. The folks that can pull that off are the best people you’ll ever work with, no question.”

“I thought working remotely would be lonely and in some ways it’s the total opposite. The relationships I have with our team are even stronger because we put intention behind meeting up and being together so the time together is much more meaningful.”

“If you’re working remote, you cannot be lazy or phone it in. You also don’t have someone breathing down your neck making sure your work gets done. This inherent challenge creates a sort of ‘check’ on the work you do, ensuring that it’s something you really, really care about.”